New In Town: In A Stew

New restaurants keep popping up in Akron so quickly that I am beginning to doubt we are really in a recession. I think it's really promising that so many people living here can obviously afford to spend some of their hard-earned cash on the restaurant industry, and, by the way, that keeps a lot of your money circulating in the local economy. The latest downtown opening is the Stew Pot Kitchen, at 30 North High Street, just across the street from the Akron Art Museum.

This tiny little place is just about perfect for the developing “artsy” block where it is located. There are a couple of galleries, a wine bar, a couple of ad agencies, and an upscale restaurant here, just across the street from one of the economical parking garages located downtown. On the other side of the garage is the Akron Public Library, and at the other end of the art museum side of High Street is the Knight Center.

The Stew Pot doesn't have a long menu. Everything is hand-made (except the hot dogs, but then, they are Nathan's Original!) and reasonably priced. There are usually three or four soups or stews, and on my first visit, they had Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya, Blue Moon Beer Cheese Soup, Italian Shrimp Bisque, or Spicy Beef & Bean Chili. You should know that the Beer Cheese soup sells out most days, sometimes before 1:00pm. The Chili can also be used with a hot dog to create a fabulous chili dog. Sandwich offerings vary. I tried the “Sherry's husband Chuck's Aunt Joyce's Pulled Pork”, and it was delightfully spicy and sweet...but so complicated to make (the chef said it took three days to smoke and roast the meat) that it probably won't be on the menu all the time.  Other days, other sandwiches or sides are made.

Soups are offered in two sizes, plus a Country Sour Dough bread bowl that is a pretty big meal. Generally, you get a chunk of bread with a bowl of soup, and there are other light snacks available.

The outside is a bit misleading...sort of just a door in the side of a building. However, the inside is brightly painted a sunshine yellow, and there are a few tables and chairs for indoor dining. If you come at a busy time, you may have to share one of these tables with strangers, but soup makes friends, I always say.  There doesn't seem to be an operating web site, but I hear one is coming soon.